Development and application of nickel alloys in aerospace engineering

Since the development of the Nimonic1 alloys for Sir Frank Whittle’s first jet engine, Henry Wiggin Ltd, now part of Special Metals Corporation, has been involved with the design and improvement of nickel alloys for aerospace engineering. Whilst much of this work continues to be in relation to alloys for the high strength/high temperature applications of turbine blades, discs, seals, rings and casings of aero engines, nickel alloys are being utilised for other key aerospace engineering areas such as tooling for composite manufacture. The focus of this paper is on four recent developments in nickel alloys for aerospace engineering, namely: disc alloys; low expansion superalloys; Inconel alloy 718SPF – a nickel base superalloy capable of being superplastically formed; Nilo (low expansion alloys) for composite tooling.